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Sort scholarship emails into likely scam or likely real
- For High school students
- You practice Asking for a format you can use
- Time about 5 minutes
About this exercise
You've been getting scholarship emails since you filled out a college search site. Get exactly 3 numbered lines, one per email in order, each labeled exactly Likely scam or Likely real, then one reason from that email, like "1. Likely scam: charges a $50 fee to apply". End with "Check with your school counselor before you apply." Under 70 words, plain text. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Getting vague verdicts. The AI says "be careful" about all three, echoing your friend. Try: Say: "Label each exactly Likely scam or Likely real."
- Generic reasons. The AI lists common scam signs instead of what's in each email. Try: Add: "One reason from that email, like: 1. Likely scam: charges a $50 fee to apply".
- No closing line. The AI ends with a long list of safety tips. Try: Add: "Last line exactly: Check with your school counselor before you apply."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 14 words."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets the labels
- Asks for a reason from each
- Sets the last line
- Sets the number of lines
- Sets a word limit
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